Indiana sweepstakes ban bill could advance to governor if committee proves successful

After the Indiana House of Representatives and Indiana Senate passed different versions of a bill that aims to make websites offering casino-style games based on a dual-currency sweepstakes model illegal, members of both chambers will meet to try to iron out those differences on February 23. Should they prove successful, the legislation could advance to Indiana Gov. Mike Braun for final approval.

The Indiana Senate took action to set up Monday's events on Feb. 17, when it approved House Bill 1052 but did so with an amendment. The Senate returned the legislation to the House, where the members declined to concur with the Senate's changes.

However, House Bill 1052 has one final chance to proceed to Braun's desk, with House and Senate members meeting to consider the proposal at 11:30 a.m. Indianapolis time on Feb. 23. The bill's sponsor, Indiana Rep. Ethan Manning, will chair the conference committee.

The language with which the two bodies are at odds doesn't concern Mastercard casinos or any other aspect of gaming. Rather, it's a disagreement about provisions regarding changes to tobacco licensure requirements.

However, complicating the matter is that the Senate representatives in the four-person committee have been vocal in wanting to regulate sweepstakes casinos rather than ban them. Although support for a ban in the House is strong, it could be those differences of opinions that prevent House Bill 1052 from advancing. 

The odds at which Indiana lawmakers are at odds over sweepstakes casinos is emblematic of deeper issues regarding gaming in the state capitol. For example, efforts to legalize the best online craps games and other types of iGaming have gone silent in recent years.

In 2023, former Indiana Rep. Sean Eberhart was sentenced to a year in prison as part of a corruption scandal tied to the state's last round of gaming expansion. Since then, the attitude around further gaming expansion has soured.

Recent gaming-related legislation to see serious debate in either chamber of the Indiana legislature has involved possible inland moves of existing riverboat casinos.

Considering the presence of Churchill Downs in the state via the Terre Haute Casino Resort in the city of the same name, the lack of movement toward licensed channels for the best online roulette titles is less surprising. Churchill Downs has vociferously opposed the expansion of iGaming in the US, going as far as to sue to block the implementation of Maine's online casino legalization.

With House Bill 1052 nearing enactment, brick-and-mortar casinos could be the foremost vehicle for regulated casino play in Indiana for the foreseeable future. Unlike people in New Jersey, Indiana residents aren't able to try bonus offers such as the PlayStar Casino promo code.

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That's assuming that the conference committee meeting for House Bill 1052 can iron out a compromise on Monday. If not, Indiana's code will not include explicit language banning sweepstakes casinos for the time being.

Derek Helling